Spaced frame construction

ABSTRACT

A display device in the form of an illuminated sign having a spaced frame construction wherein a pair of frames are secured about a support pole which may be of various sizes, in back to back relation such that display faces attached to the outer portion of each frame is viewable from opposite exterior positions relative to the device. The pole extends through substantially the center of the interior of the sign and is connected thereto by a plurality of pairs of connecting bars welded to opposite sides of the pole and attached in interconnecting relation to each frame such that the space between the bars is determined by the configuration of the pole. Cover means in the form of a sheet is positioned around the periphery of the device to at least partially enclose the interior thereof.

United States Patent 1 Coleman SPACED FRAME CONSTRUCTION [76] Inventor: Kelly R. Coleman, 2367 Anna Ave.,

Clearwater, Fla. 33515 [22] Filed: Aug. 16, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 388,979

Related [1.8. Application Data [63] Continuation of Ser. No. 182,435, Sept. 21, 1971,

[ 1 July 8,1975

Primary ExaminerRobert W. Michell Assistant Examiner-John F. Pitrelli Attorney, Agent, or Firm--Cushman, Darby & Cushman [57 ABSTRACT A display device in the form of an illuminated sign having a spaced frame construction wherein a pair of frames are secured about a support pole which may be of various sizes, in back to back relation such that display faces attached to the outer portion of each frame is viewable from opposite exterior positions relative to the device. The pole extends through substantially the center of the interior of the sign and is connected thereto by a plurality of pairs of connecting bars welded to opposite sides of the pole and attached in interconnecting relation to each frame such that the space between the bars is determined by the configuration of the pole. Cover means in the form of a sheet is positioned around the periphery of the device to at least partially enclose the interior thereof.

8 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures 10 so 28 50 f so PATENTEDJ'UL 8 ms 3 8 93; 2 51 SHEET 2 FIG. 6

INVENTOR. KELLY R. COLEMAN ia/aw W w z SPACEI) FRAME CONSTRUCTION This is a continuation of Ser. No. I82,435 filed Sept. 21. I971, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION through the interior of the device substantially along the central vertical axis thereof.

2. Description of the Prior Art In the advertising industry the use of display devices in the form of illuminated signs which are permanently mounted at a given location is of course extremely well known. The particular configuration or construction of the sign utilized in any given advertising application depends upon such things as type of business goods or services being advertised, location at which the sign or display device is to be located and the particular segment of the public to which the advertisement is directed. Because of these many diverse applications there is of course a demand for various types of signs. This variety of demand severely restricts the mass production or the use of mass production techniques in producing a generally standard-type sign. Accordingly such a mass produced sign has been relatively unknown in the advertising industry. It is readily understood why large scale or mass production of a substantially standard display de vice is highly desirable from an economic standpoint. In addition, maintenance of a standard-type sign would also involve the expenditure of less money since repair or servicing of such a sign could be done on a replacement part type basis.

Other disadvantages inherent in the production and use of custom made sign includes the cost involved in installing these sign which often times equals or exceeds the actual production cost. Since up to the pres ent time no one single sign structure has had the versatility to satisfy the wide variety of advertising needs, the installation of the varying sign structures would also have to be done on a custom installation type basis. Since a custom built sign had to be produced which adapted to a particular location or business to be advertised. those involved in installing these prior art structures would often times be dealing with completely different structures of which they had no general knowledge or experience. Because of the above factors the time and expense involved in the installation of conventional signs is relatively great.

Because of these and other commonly known problems prevelant in the advertising and sign making industry, there has been a long felt need for a display device which is versatile enough to be adapted to a number of various advertising situations. At the same time such a display device must comprise a relatively simple, low-cost construction capable of being easily maintained and transported to any given location. Ideally, such a sign structure would be of a somewhat standard type construction which was capable of being built through the application of mass production techniques. In addition the versatility of such a structure would inelude its being installed on diverse types of supporting devices regardless of their size or shapev SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a display device in the form of an illuminated sign structure comprising a spaced frame construction which allows it to be readily installed on support poles or like support means of vari ous sizes and shapes. In modern day construction of iiluminated signs it has been found that constructing these signs from aluminum extrusion rather than conventional steel plates or sheets is more efficient and economical both from a labor and cost of materials standpoint. In addition an aluminum sign structure is subject to less maintenance over the life of the sign. However, one disadvantage associated with aluminum extrusion construction is the relatively high cost of signs having relatively large dimensions. More specifically, it has been found that signs having relatively large widths as well as lengths required aluminum extruded pieces to be formed from extrusion dies which are very costly. In addition, internal bracing and strengthening is frequently required in order to maintain the requisite strength of such a sign structure.

The present invention however combines the obvious advantages of aluminum or similar lightweight material construction while at the same time utilizing relatively standard dimensioned materials.

More particularly the display device of the present invention comprises a first and second frame arranged in spaced, parallel relation to one another. Each frame includes a translucent or like material display face on which letters or like indicia may be removably mounted or integrally formed. These display faces are connected to the outer planar surface or portion of each frame. The inner portion of each frame are arranged in connected, spaced relation to one another by interconnecting means which may be in the form of angle irons connected along spaced locations at various points between the two frames.

The display device is mounted on a support means which may be in the form of a vertically oriented pole extending up through the central interior of the display device between the first and second frames. As will be described hereinafter, the spacing between the frame and the specific arrangement of the connecting means used to mount the device on the pole is dependent upon the size and configuration of the pole itself.

The connecting means comprises at least two connecting bars arranged to substantially traverse the space between the frames and thereby be arranged in interconnecting relation therebetween. The bars may be arranged in spaced, substantially parallel relationship on opposite or different sides of the support means and be welded thereto in frame supporting relation to the pole. Of course. the particular orientation and spacing of the connecting bar is dependent upon the configuration of the support pole itself. A tab is connected to the inner portion of each frame in corresponding relation to one another and serves to have the respective extremities of the connecting bars attached thereto. The particular point of connection between the connecting bars and the tabs may be varied dependent upon the configuration and size of the supporting pole. This allows the installation of the sign structure on the pole to be generally the same regardless of the size and configuration of the pole. As pointed out above this adds greatly to the versatility of such a sign structure since those involved in installing it apply the same installation techniques independent of the configuration of the support means on which the sign structure is mounted. A plurality of the connecting means comprising the connecting bars and tabs may be arranged at a plurality of spaced points along the longitudinal axis of the pole. on the interior of the display device.

As pointed out above the dimensions of the space be tween the individual frame is dependent upon the configuration and size of the supporting pole. Any display device using this space frame construction of the present invention merely adjusts the distance between the connecting bar and the size of the connecting bar and the interconnecting means which connect the frames to one another in order to readily adapt the sign structure to various sized poles. In order to provide a solid, uniform appearance of the finished device, cover means in the form of aluminum sheets or like material is arranged about the periphery of the sign in order to cover the space between the frames and at least partially en close and define the interior of the display device itself. In that the interior of the device essentially comprises the interior of both frames and the space therebetween. an illumination means which may be in the form of a single bank of lights may be provided on the interior of the sign structure. This single bank of lights, because of this open interior, directs illumination of the rear of both display faces thereby allowing the indicia displayed thereon to be readily apparent, even to a casual observer on the exterior of the sign.

It should be further pointed out that the spaced frames on which the display faces are mounted may be of a single piece of extruded aluminum. Alternately, when greater width of the frame pieces themselves is desired, without a prohibitive increase in cost, two or more frame pieces may be locked together, forming what may be termed unitized aluminum construction.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction. combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a fuller understanding of the nature and the objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. I is a front plane view of the display device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the display device as shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cutaway sectional view taken along lines 33 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along lines 44 of FIG. 3 showing the interior of the display device.

FIG. 5 is a cutaway, partial sectional view taken along lines 55 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a detailed sectional view of a portion of the frame structure of the display device.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The display device of the present invention is generally indicated at 10 in FIGS. 1 and 2 and comprises a first and second frame I2 and 14 respectively mounted in spaced relation to one another. A display face I6 and 18 is mounted on the outer portion ofeach frame. This display face may be made of translucent material and designed to have removably or integrally attached thereto indicia to be displayed to the exterior of the sign as shown. As clearly shown in FIG. 3 the display device is mounted on a support means in the form of a support pole 20 such that the inner portions 22 and 24 are arranged in back to back relation where upon both of the frames are substantially parallel and mounted on opposite sides of support pole 20. As will be described in detail hereinafter the space 26 between frame 16 and I8 is essentially dependent upon the size and/or configuration of the support means 20 on which the frames are mounted. The frame themselves are formed from extruded aluminum pieces 28 (FIG. 6) which are joined at their extremity to form substantially any configuration. The particular embodiment of the display device shown shows the frame being arranged in a rectangular, angular configuration. However as can be readily seen almost any type of geometrical design can be formed through the use of these extruded pieces. In addition, the extruded pieces are specifically formed to structurally accommodate the various components of the sign. More specifically upstanding flange 30 serves to partially define a channel in which the peripheral edge 32 of each display face may be mounted.

Since the interior of the device essentially comprises space 26 and the interior of each frame 12 and I4, an illumination means in the form ofa single bank oflights 34 may be mounted on the interior of the device. This bank of lights comprising fluorescent bulbs 36 is positioned so as to direct illumination to both of the translucent display faces and thereby allow indicia formed on the faces to be readily apparent from the exterior of the signs to even the most casual observer.

The connecting means for mounting the frames on support pole 20 comprises the plurality of connecting bars 40 and 42 mounted in spaced, substantially parallel relation to one another by virtue of their being connected at each extremity to connecting tabs 44 and 46 mounted on frames 12 and 14 respectively. As can be shown each of the tabs 44 and 46 can be supplied with a plurality of apertures 48 along their length. These apertures are designed to receive a connecting means in the form of a bolt or the like 50 which also extends through an extremity of connecting bars 40 or 42. It can therefore be seen that the connecting bars 40 and 42 can be placed on various spacing from each other to accommodate various configuration or sizes of sup port pole 20. Accordingly, the length of each of the connecting bars 40 and 42 may vary also dependent upon the configuration and size of support pole 20. While in the specific embodiment shown the connecting bars are arranged in parallel relation to one another it can readily be seen that other relative orientations of the connecting bars could be possible. Referring specifically to FIGS. 3 and 5 the connecting bars are positioned on different or opposite sides of the support pole 20 and welded thereto at 52 to support the display device at the desired height on support pole 20 (FIG. I and 2). As is clearly shown in FIG. 5 a plurality of connecting means may be positioned at spaced location within the interior of the display device. Each of these connection means include a plurality of connecting bars and cooperatively positioned connecting tabs.

As stated above the size of space 26 is dependent upon the configuration or dimension of support pole 20. Accordingly interconnecting means in the form of interconnecting bars 56 are arranged at spaced position in interconnecting relation between the inner portion of the frames. More particularly the extremities in each interconnecting bar 56 is bolted or otherwise connected to a flange 58 which in turn is secured to the inner portion of each frame. As shown in interconnecting bars 56 are located at the corner of the frame thereby interconnecting the frames to one another as explained. However it can readily be seen that the interconnecting bars can be formed at a number of locations along the inner periphery of the device.

In order to provide the display device with a solid one-piece appearance a cover means 60 in the form of one or more aluminum sheets are secured about the periphery of the device in such a manner as to cover the space between frame 12 and 14. Accordingly, the cover means 60 defines the boundaries of space 26 and partially encloses the interior of the device. The sheets 60 are secured about the peripheral edge of the inner portion of each frame and are interconnected therebetween. Conventional fastening means in the form of bolts or screws 62 are arranged in spaced relation to one another along both longitudinal edges and attached directly through the plate 60 into the extruded piece or portion of the frame 28 as shown.

it will thus be seen that the objects made apparent from the preceding description are efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing from the scope of the invention it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Now that the invention has been described,

What is claimed is:

l. A display device comprising: a first and second frame, each connected to a support means and arranged thereon in spaced, substantially parallel relation to one another. each frame including an inner and outer portion; a display face mounted on said outer portion of each of said frames, whereby said display faces are viewable from opposite exterior portions relative to said device; cover means interconnected to both said frames and detaehably mounted to said outer portions thereof, said cover means arranged to extend about at least a portion of the periphery of said device,

whereby said cover means at least partially encloses the space between said frames. thereby at least partially dcfining the interior of said device; and connecting means arranged on the interior of said device and adaptable to correspond to the configuration of said support means. said connecting means comprising atl least one tab member attached to said inner portion of each of said frames in corresponding position to one another. each of said tab members being located on different sides of said support means. and attachment means disposed on said support means in interconnecting relation between said correspondingly positioned tab members. said connecting means further comprising adjusting means formed on each of said tab members and configured to engage said attachment means. whereby the location of said attachment means on said tab members may be varied depending upon the dimension of said support means and whereby said device is mountable on said support means of various sizes.

2. A display device as in claim 1 wherein said support means comprises at least one elongated pole. said attachment means comprising a plurality of connecting bars being welded to said pole adjacent said tabs.

3. A display device as in claim I further comprising illumination means mounted on the interior of said device.

4. A display device as in claim 3 wherein said illumination means comprises a single bank of lights arranged on the interior of said device in communicating relation to the display faces of each frame. whereby each display face of said device is illuminated from said bank of lights.

5. A display device as in claim 1 wherein each of said frames include a plurality of extruded aluminum pieces arranged in end-toend relation to define a substantially annular configuration.

6. A display device as in claim 1 wherein a plurality of said connecting means are arranged on the interior of said device in spaced relation to one another along the longitudinal axis of said supporting means.

7. A display device as in claim 1 wherein said cover means comprises elongated sheets connected to the peripheral edges of the inner portions of each frame such that the periphery of said device is enclosed by said cover means. whereby the width of said cover means is dependent upon the configuration of said support means.

8. A display device as in claim 1 further comprising interconnecting means attached adjacent to inner portions of each of said frames at spaced positions along the periphery thereof, whereby the space between said frames is substantially constant. 

1. A display device comprising: a first and second frame, each connected to a support means and arranged thereon in spaced, substantially parallel relation to one another, each frame including an inner and outer portion; a display face mounted on said outer portion of each of said frames, whereby said display faces are viewable from opposite exterior portions relative to said device; cover means interconnected to both said frames and detachably mounted to said outer portions thereof, said cover means arranged to extend about at least a portion of the periphery of said device, whereby said cover means at least partially encloses the space between said frames, thereby at least partially defining the interior of said device; and connecting means arranged on the interior of said device and adaptable to correspond to the configuration of said support means, said connecting means comprising atl least one tab member attached to said inner portion of each of said frames in corresponding position to one another, each of said tab members being located on different sides of said support means, and attachment means disposed on said support means in interconnecting relation between said correspondingly positioned tab members, said connecting means further comprising adjusting means formed on each of said tab members and configured to engage said attachment means, whereby the location of said attachment means on said tab members may be varied depending upon the dimension of said support means and whereby said device is mountable on said support means of various sizes.
 2. A display device as in claim 1 wherein said support means comprises at least one elongated pole, said attachment means comprising a plurality of connecting bars being welded to said pole adjacent said tabs.
 3. A display device as in claim 1 further comprising illumination means mounted on the interior of said device.
 4. A display device as in claim 3 wherein said illumination means comprises a single bank of lights arranged on the interior of said device in communicating relation to the display faces of each frame, whereby each display face of said device is illuminated from said bank of lights.
 5. A display device as in claim 1 wherein each of said frames include a plurality of extruded aluminum pieces arranged in end-to-end relation to define a substantially annular configuration.
 6. A display device as in claim 1 wherein a plurality of said connecting means are arranged on the interior of said device in spaced relation to one another along the longitudinal axis of said supporting means.
 7. A display device as in claim 1 wherein said cover means comprises elongated sheets connected to the peripheral edges of the inner portions of each frame such that the periphery of said device is enclosed by said cover means, whereby the width of said cover means is dependent upon the configuration of said support means.
 8. A display device as in claim 1 further comprising interconnecting means attached adjacent to inner portions of each of said frames at spaced positions along the periphery thereof, whereby the space between said frames is substantially constant. 